New studio Ridgeline Games, which is led by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, has been established to create a new narrative campaign set in the Battlefield universe, according to a press release from Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts has also confirmed that creative director Lars Gustavsson, who’s been with the franchise since its very first game, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities..
“Lars has dedicated a substantial portion of his life to Battlefield and is proud to have helped shape the franchise into what it is today,” the release reads. “He is excited to pass the baton to the next generation of Battlefield creators at DICE, Ripple Effect, Industrial Toys, and Ridgeline Games.”
According to the release, the company is “composed of industry veterans from around the world,” which will be extremely important because according to them, they’ll be “instrumental to building the future of the franchise.”
Specifically, Ridgeline is creating a “a narrative campaign set in the Battlefield universe.” It is unclear if this will be tied to an entirely new game.
“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with DICE and Ripple Effect and lead the charge on expanding the narrative, storytelling and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series,” Lehto said.
Beyond working to co-create the Halo series of games, Lehto was also the creative director at Bungie, leaving in 2012. He went on to serve as the president and creative director of V1 Interactive, which was responsible for the game Disintegration, before coming to EA in 2021 to work as a game director.
Battlefield creator DICE had recently said that they would be prioritizing the development of more Battlefield games, going on record to say that they are focusing on Battlefield 2042 and that there “is no time for anything else.”
Vince Zampella, Respawn founder and head of the Battlefield franchise, said through the press release that he’s confident the move will yield positive results for the franchise.
“We’re continuing to invest in the future of the franchise by bringing in new talent and perspectives,” he said. “With Marcus and his team at Ridgeline Games joining the world-class global team we have already in place, Battlefield is in the strongest position to succeed.”
Click here for our review of Battlefield 2042.
Diego Ramos Bechara is a Freelance Writer for IGN, and he’s a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog and Batman.
You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.